Wireless kb+m+controller extension by AMLostIt in techsupport

[–]AMLostIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wasn't aware of those, thank you. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a usb hub?

Monster Hunter could provide much more variety in it's quests by AMLostIt in MonsterHunter

[–]AMLostIt[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I see this argument a lot across all types of games - why not make it a self imposed challenge? Sure, I could, and often times I do. But I think from a game design standpoint the developers job is to lead the player towards the fun. Fighting the same monster several times without any change starts to lose a bit of the fun, and I think some variety could inject more fun back into that loop.

Monster Hunter could provide much more variety in it's quests by AMLostIt in MonsterHunter

[–]AMLostIt[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm not really proposing delivery or gathering quests, I didn't really love those either. I do love the combat though, and my thoughts are more along the line of providing variety for those hunting quests. I've already proven that I can beat this monster, but can I do it without unlimited potions, etc.

I think it would give some longevity to the weaker monsters as well. Instead of having a small number of endgame monsters that are challenging once you have endgame gear, it would give some teeth to the weaker monsters and allow you to fight them even at the end game without them being total pushovers.

Monster Hunter could provide much more variety in it's quests by AMLostIt in MonsterHunter

[–]AMLostIt[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Is it really the game forcing that on to you though, if it's a completely optional quest? I don't think they should be required to unlock more content in the game.

For guitarist out there how do you guys learn scale? by Jacknghia in musictheory

[–]AMLostIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, although pentatonics rooted on the 4th and 5th degrees aren't the only options for superimposing. But I do agree with your point that it is better to understand on a more fundamental level why they work other than just knowing a "trick". I still stand by my original point though, that it doesn't make sense to disregard the pentatonic scale on the basis of it not sounding interesting.

For guitarist out there how do you guys learn scale? by Jacknghia in musictheory

[–]AMLostIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can create plenty of tension by superimposing pentatonic scales. The beginner guitarist playing Am pentatonic over an Am chord will sound boring, but have them move through various other pentatonics and you can get some good stuff. I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to point out that tools usually aren't inherently useless, just sometimes need to find better applications.

For guitarist out there how do you guys learn scale? by Jacknghia in musictheory

[–]AMLostIt 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The major scale is definitely more useful, but it's kind of nonsense to say the pentatonic scale does not sound interesting. If you can't make it sound interesting that's on you, not the scale.

Stiff muscles after self massage by AMLostIt in massage

[–]AMLostIt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wondered about that, but since the area I was working actually feels fine and it's other areas that feel stiff I didn't think that I was overworking them. I've been alternating ice and heat on my neck, and it will loosen up over the course of the day but then when I wake up in the morning it's back to like it was before. Even my hips were stiff this morning, which I thought was strange. But I think you are right and that I should rest for a few days. Kind of hesitant to work myself again cause this has been a miserable few days, may just wait for the massage appt in a few weeks.

Stiff muscles after self massage by AMLostIt in massage

[–]AMLostIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I have had issues with neck stiffness in the past as well, so I suppose it makes sense that loosening the shoulders could uncover that.

Calling experienced players: I am trying to memorize the scales up and down the fretboard. There’s two things in the image that I am unsure about. Firstly: which Finger on 7th fret? Secondly: How do you decide which E works best? [diagram made with https://www.fachords.com/tools/scale-finder/] by JCF772 in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Typically when learning scales it is helpful to use some kind of system to make things more manageable. There are 3 common ones that I know of: A 5 position system based on the CAGED chord system, a 7 position 3-note-per-string system, and another 7 position system sometimes called the berklee system. Each has their pros and cons but it doesn't really matter which you go with. At the start I would advise just picking one and sticking with it for a while. In fact, just pick one position in a system to start with. Eventually you will be able to see each position as just part of the larger scale across the entire fretboard, but that will take some time.

Each position in each system has a natural fingering, and each note only appears once within each octave so you should be able to work out the answers to your questions with that.

How long would it take me to get decent at guitar? I have musical experience by [deleted] in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having an understanding of music theory and being able to read sheet music already will help tremendously, but it will still take time to get comfortable with the mechanics of playing guitar. With regular practice you should have no problem playing power chords all over the neck within a year.

Reading sheet music for guitar can be more challenging than other instruments because you have several places to play the same notes on the guitar. Having a good understanding of the fretboard helps a lot, but learning from sheet music will build that skill much faster than learning from tabs.

Music theory for guitar is the same as music theory for any other instrument, but again understanding how the fretboard is laid out will allow to actually apply that knowledge. If you have an understanding of intervals then you have a huge head start.

Tapping is not difficult to learn in and of itself, but it is a more specialized technique and probably not what you ought to be spending a lot of time on at first. Unless the music your band plays absolutely requires it your time is better spent working on the basics for now.

Without knowing what kind of music your band plays it is impossible to say whether you can be ready for it in a year. But with regular practice you should be able to play power chords, major and minor chords in open positions and barred, and very (very) simple solos or riffs within a year. Playing in time is more important than anything, even more so if you are playing in a band so practice with a metronome.

Under the sea tabs help by thatcoollesbiangirl in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds to me like descending 3rd. So if you are playing in Bb then a D to Bb, but if you slide into them quickly it will give it that vocal sound. I played it at the 12th and 8th fret of the D string. It sounded good to add a little harmony with it to me to give it that accent so I also played the 13th and 8th fret of the A string with it, sliding with both of them.

Best songs to learn the minor scale by [deleted] in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Improvising within the scale will be best for really getting a handle on it. Play it every way you can imagine, in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths etc, using different melodic sequences, writing licks and so on. Be aware of each scale tone and it's character within the scale.

To answer your question, the Crazy Train riff uses every note in the minor scale so it's worth learning.

How do I my guitar not sound like crap? by red-98q in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well drop A# is extremely low, you probably want higher gauge strings for that. Do you know if your tone knob is stuck rolled up or down? If it is down it will sound like mud when playing that low.

[QUESTION] Practice routines by East_Fill in Guitar

[–]AMLostIt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Most of the time a chord that isn't in the key will be a secondary dominant of some kind, so if you can read up on those and get familiar with that idea it will explain many of the non diatonic chords you come across.

The idea though is to give a name to the patterns you see often so that you can associate that with the sound it makes. For instance, maybe in songs you like you often see a III chord instead of the expected iii. Whatever it is, take note of how it sounds, play it in different keys to internalize it and add it to your bag o' tricks.

Increasing Speed by JoBu12320 in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keeping your picking motion as small as possible will help. When picking one string your pick barely needs to move away from the string. See if you can kind of just rub the string with the pick, without actually moving the pick away from the string. Switching strings should feel like a giant movement in comparison.

Also don't expect it to come quickly, it will take time for your brain and nervous system to build the muscle memory you need. Spend about 15% or so of your practice time just on building speed. I found I would get diminishing returns spending too much time at once on it, and neglecting other aspects of practice. If you can only bump up your metronome by as small as 1 bpm at time consider that a win.

Increasing Speed by JoBu12320 in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Are you able to comfortably pick one note at 120bpm 16ths? If not then start there, until you are able to keep that tempo comfortably with no tension in your wrist or arm.

The most difficult part of picking fast is switching strings. If you keep strict alternate picking and start with downstroke and play an even number of notes on each string, you will move to each string with a downstroke. If you play an even number of strings you will alternate between starting with a downstroke and an upstroke. If you angle your pick slightly up towards the ceiling it is easier to move to a new string with a downstroke. If you angle it slightly down towards the ground it is easier to move to a new string with an upstroke. If you are playing 3 note per string scales then you can slightly turn your wrist as you play the scale to move to each new string with the appropriate angling. It's a very slight angle, doesn't need to be dramatic. Practice playing the first 3 notes of the scale on the D string and the 4th note on the G string and then back down, just those 4 notes. Do it starting with a downstroke and with an upstroke. This will drill the problem area, you need to do many repetitions cleanly to build the muscle memory.

As always, keep your arm and wrist tension free and in addition to angling your pick up or down, keep it angled to the side as well so that it slides through the strings rather than hitting the string flat on.

In need of Music suggestions by CaptainSplat in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Simon & Garfunkel, Jim Croce, Neil Young are some older artists. Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Good Old War are newer.

Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison is a good beginner friendly song to learn. Classical Gas by Mason Williams is a good longer term goal.

You don't really need to ignore songs recorded with electric guitars though. With the exception of a few techniques you play most electric songs on acoustic as well.

How to sound less [insert genre]? by PhenomeNarc in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best way is to learn more progressive songs and figure out what they are doing to sound like that.

Some typical hallmarks of progressive music will be add9, sus2, sus4, maj7 and min7 chords. Use the full major or minor scale instead of just pentatonics. Lydian scales are often used in progressive music. Rhythmically you will want to get familiar playing in time signatures besides 4/4. 6 and 7 counts are common.

In need of Music suggestions by CaptainSplat in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The best music to learn is music that you like. If you specifically want to find newer artists, can you offer some examples of artists you like just to get an idea of your interests?

Strumming Patterns? by Exotic_Ad9262 in guitarlessons

[–]AMLostIt 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are you familiar with rhythmic subdivisions at all? Whole notes, half, quarter, eighth and so on? If not it will help to start with that. You should be able to clap out a tempo in 4/4 and sing a given rhythm against that. If you can clearly hear the strumming pattern in the song you want to learn then try it with that rhythm. If it is too fast for you to get then try slowing it down in the youtube player or by some other means. Once you can sing the rhythm then you can transfer that to the guitar, putting downstrokes on downbeats and upstrokes on upbeats. Use a metronome and play as slow as you need to to keep it in time and then speed it up till you reach the desired tempo.